Mainz, Germany

Guide for the rail traveller

Information

Introduction

This 2,000 year old city is best known around the world as the home of the printing press. In the early 1450s Johannes Gutenberg unveiled the device that would kickstart the publishing industry, and the Gutenberg Museum has live demonstrations showing exactly how the inventor operated the press. Mainz has several other museums devoted to specialist subjects, such as the Museum für Antike Schiffahrt (ancient shipbuilding), and the Roman-Germanic Central Museum which focuses on science.

In the summertime various points of the Rhine river are turned into beaches, with artificial sand, palm trees and beach bars. For shopping, head to Roemerpassage for big department stores, or stick to the old town to discover tiny boutiques selling artisan goods, many of which are hidden down small alleyways and courtyards. Mainz also happens to be Germany’s wine capital, due to its proximity to the vineyards of the Rhine valley.